Worth Fighting For
by artemis-nz
Summary: Both Conrad and Yuuri find things that are worth fighting for. Yuuri decides to act alone in this, and finds out what that really entails. Conrad/Yuuri.
1. Chapter 1

"It's a human village - they should have to take care of their own affairs", Wolfram sniffs disdainfully.

"It's a human village that has a treaty with us and is a part of our own lands, if nothing else", Conrad corrects. "And being human does not make a life less valid than another", he adds for emphasis. Wolfram only makes an impatient noise at the back of his throat and looks away, but has the decency to flush slightly (or at least Yuuri, wishing to see the best in everyone, hopes it is Wolfram's conscience and not the wine that made his face redden).

"What do you intend to do?" Gwendal makes Yuuri jump, appearing behind him so silently and speaking abruptly into the quiet. "You know it would be foolhardy to go now, with the political unrest right here within-"

"I know it, Gwendal." Conrad speaks more quietly but with just as much authority. He glances at Yuuri, but the Maou makes a point of avoiding eye contact, pretending he is as naive as everybody seems to believe. _Young and inexperienced, but not blind_, he thinks to himself. And he would have to be blind, he knows, to miss what is occurring with alarming frequency around him. Kidnappings. Assassinations. Political unrest, as Gwendal had bluntly put it. The guilt Yuuri feels lies heavy, despite him also knowing that it is not his fault - it is just his kingdom.

"Well?"

"It's clear we can't leave tonight - too risky. Too many soldiers draws attention and not enough of them draws danger. Tomorrow?"

"It's nearly a two day ride if we take that many men, we'd never make it before-"

Yuuri lets them argue, and stays uncharacteristically silent. He feels Conrad's sharp gaze on him and knows he is drawing concern. It is Yuuri's usual policy to be as loud and as protesting as possible when a discussion is over other peoples' lives. Now, however, is different. Foolhardy to leave too soon... not enough soldiers but also too many... he allows the words to sink in, pondering them, churning them over in his mind until he reaches a decision. Conrad, blissfully unaware of what the Maou is thinking, guides him back to his sleeping quarters when the argument only grows louder with raised voices.

"Heika? Is everything alright?" A silly question, Conrad berates himself - things are clearly not alright.

Yuuri gives him a wan smile anyway and tries not to show Conrad that he is already nervous about what he's thinking of doing. "I just need some sleep, I guess." Conrad's face is in shadow as he sees Yuuri to bed before leaving, not commenting on the lack of protest that should have accompanied the way in Yuuri was addressed (_it's Yuuri, Conrad!_). But Yuuri does not say a word, not trusting himself to speak in case Conrad is too perceptive. He would never agree if he knew, and Yuuri is determined to prove just how strong he can be.

Three hours later, Yuuri's heart hammering with the thought of being caught before his plan has not even had a chance to begin, dresses as quietly as possible and sneaks to the top of the castle. The guards let him pass - it is not so unusual for Yuuri to be taking midnight walks, and there is after all no way he can leave the castle from the tower. Not without help, anyway.

The member of the Flying Bone Tribe drops Yuuri off right by the stables, and the Maou is suddenly incredibly glad that he has been practicing his horse riding - there will be no Conrad to save him this time, should things go awry. "Thank you", he whispers to the skeleton-figure, and hears the chatter in response which he assumes is simply a confirmation of his thanks. The horse walks forward and then breaks into a trot at his command, and the next set of guards he passes again lets him go on - there is no curfew as such; they are there only in case of trouble, and the dark cloak hides his face from them. He rides until the morning, and sleeps under a tree with the horse tied to the trunk, his small pack under his head for a pillow.

At the castle, all hell is breaking loose.

"He's ben kidnapped!" Gunter shrieks.

"He can't have kidnapped, the castle is well guarded", Conrad answers calmly while feeling anything but calm. It is true - Yuuri has well and truly vanished. The guards are all questioned separately in turn. Conrad learns that Yuuri was last seen taking a midnight walk, that he was headed for the North tower, that the guard had assumed Yuuri had come down some time after he had changed shifts. Wolfram questions the guard until the soldier cringes under the nobleman's tone, and Conrad steers Wolfram away. He places no blame on the guard, knowing him for an honest and forthright person. Instead, heart heavy, he goes up the tower in question himself. All there is here is smooth empty stone, and not a sign that Yuuri himself has even been. The grounds have already been searched, and Ulrike has already been consulted. She has confirmed the worst: Yuuri has not left this world for his own. Somewhere, he is still in the Demon kingdom.

The clacking of skeletal jaws distract him for a moment - not one, but three members from the Flying Bone Tribe are choosing to hover right above the edge of the tower. Whilst Conrad is unable as most to communicate in their unique language, the one in the middle is behaving oddly. It looks down as if somehow ashamed, and the other two, seemingly debating with each other over this behavior, finally seem to be gesturing to Conrad. They are both pointing in one direction, clearly signalling something. They have Conrad's full attention now, as they emphatically try to tell him something. It dawns on Conrad what this something might be, and he speaks only one word, horror in his voice. "Yuuri?" He waits for the middle one to nod before he loses all decorum and sprints down the stairs, heading for the stable. He passes Gwendal and Gunter on the way. "I know where Yuuri is!" he gasps, breathless, and they follow. Conrad hears Gwendal telling Wolfram to stay but does not wait to hear the argument he knows will ensue because of it. There is only one important thing right now.

* * *

The village that Yuuri finds himself in is in complete chaos. He is tired from the long ride, and already hot in spite of the cooling air of the evening. He has completed the ride in just under a day thanks to the short sleep but has no time to relax. A sword is swung at him before he even has time to think. Thankfully, the glimpse of the houses on fire, the old woman lying dead on her side, the children screaming, the blood on a baby's face, is enough to trigger what he needs in order to secure the sword for his own and, with a sweep of his hand, knock the solder unconscious with all the power of a Maou filled with fury. Now he is not Yuuri but the someone else entirely, and is only vaguely aware of what he is doing. The soldiers come at him in earnest now, realising who he is. They do not come one by one but rather in waves, so that he is quickly surrounded by men in grey and black uniforms who are all looking to kill. The impressions come thick and fast: swords swinging and vibrating off each other, the deafening roar of someone - very possibly himself - more screaming, yelling, moaning. He is losing control too quickly, unable to reign in the anger that burns through him, not letting him stop. There are soldiers on the ground, bleeding and dying and getting up only to fall again. There is a sky gradually darkening to signal an approaching storm of his own making, and something hot and wet trailing down his face, and horses thundering across the land somewhere (or perhaps it is the lightening he has conjured in all his anger). At the very last, there is a cliff top and a scared child tugging at his hand who he almost swings at - she speaks just in time and he hears her voice like it's in his head instead of his ears - _Please stop! Please stop, it's over-_

He calms down and the world comes back to him, little by little. There's the girl standing beside him, clothing bloodied and a bruise on her cheek but otherwise unharmed, no thanks to him. There's also another soldier coming towards him, badly wounded but all the more determined for that. Yuuri feels the world spin and tries to call back the Maou before it's too late, but realises that he can barely hold up the sword in his exhaustion let alone fight with it. The Maou has fled with the storm and is not coming back. He looks up as if the answer might be somewhere above him, perhaps written in the sky. It is dim but clear above him - no clouds, no thunder. The noise of it, however, does not recede but instead grows insistently louder. He recognises it for what it really is at last, and wants to cry. He might be saved, but he is also caught (literally, he sees as he glances at the blood stains he does not remember getting), red-handed. _In hindsight_, he thinks to himself as the group of horsemen catch his eye, _this might not have been such a good idea_

It all happens in a split second. Yuuri watches as if from a distance as the solder in front of him lifts his sword. Yuuri cannot think of anything to do but evade it, and as he does he edges right off the cliff. The sword catches him arm before he can quite dodge the steel, slicing deeply, and he winces but does not cry out. There are voices yelling, this time not his own. There is also a rock which, astoundingly, he manages to hold on to with his good arm after falling only a few feet. His sword clatters down the cliff uselessly below him. "It's a long way down", he murmurs idiotically, and wonders how much longer he'll be able to stay conscious.

The sound of swords again resumes along with the yelling, and Yuuri closes his eyes, disappointed. _Pretty useless even as the Maou if I can't even spare the life of some villagers-_

"Yuuri!" He opens his eyes when he hears his name being called with such urgency. The yelling is coming not from many but from one person, and the urge to let this person know where he is if only to say goodbye before he plummets to his death (and Yuuri knows he deserves it for screwing this plan up), overrides the everything else including his shame. He finds enough air and energy left to yell back with as much effort as he can, voice sounding faint in his own ears.

"_Conrad!_"

There is a scrambling overhead and Yuuri realises that Conrad has actually heard him over the sounds of everything else and the weakness of his own voice. He looks up, disbelieving, and sees Conrad looking right back at him, taking in the situation at a glance even as he is aghast at what he sees.

"Don't move", he orders, and his voice remains steady. There is a clatter as a sword is laid down, and then Conrad is lying flat on his stomach with his arm extended fully, not quite within reach of Yuuri's hand. "You're going to have to grab me", he says. To his credit, he stays quite calm so as to not alarm Yuuri. "Quickly", he adds as he sees Yuuri's hand trembling, ready to give out and let that small body fall. Yuuri's eyes are at half-mast now, and Conrad shouts out something, jerking Yuuri fully awake again.

"Just a bit longer, Yuuri!" The Maou might be ready to finally give in, but there is the acute fear in Yuuri's eyes nonetheless as he realises he will have to reach up with his left arm to be hoisted up by Conrad, the movement possibly forcing his right hand away from the fragile grip he has on the protruding rock above.

"I- I can't!" He panics, eyes wide and unseeing for a moment as the fear makes him lose focus.

"Yuuri- Yuuri, stop! Please!"

It's the pleading that brings him back to reality in the end, the tone in Conrad's voice unmistakable. Yuuri takes a deep breath and lunges upwards with whatever he has left to give, not giving himself time to think and acting purely on the instinct to grab the hand that reached for his. He can't help but scream anyway as his left arm burns savagely at the grip that holds him up, and he dangles in mid-air for one sickening moment before Conrad pulls him up in one jerking motion. Yuuri bites his lip so as to not just keep on screaming and make a further idiot of himself in front of Conrad and everyone else who is very suddenly crowding around - Gwendal, Gunter, Wolfram, Yozak among them - and can't help but close his eyes again and groan. It's meant as pure exasperation for making everyone worry yet again, but ends in a strangled noise as the feeling in his body returns after a moment of numbness. It is reassuring, he supposes, because he is at least sure that he hasn't died - death surely wouldn't be as painful as this.

"My God, his arm-"

"Don't move him, he could be injured elsewhere-"

"Someone, just get a Healer!-"

The voices fade in and out and the rapid footsteps about him make the ground tremble - or perhaps that's just him. He opens his eyes to see Conrad's face right above him. His eyes don't show any anger at what Yuuri has done, although Yuuri knows Conrad would have every right to be furious. He apologises anyway, staring at Conrad to try and convey with his eyes the message that he cannot with his voice; that it hurts but he is still extremely grateful for being rescued since he wasn't able to do this on his own-

"I'm so sorry..." To his own ears, his voice sounds pathetically small. Conrad says something back but Yuuri doesn't quite catch it. He turns his head to the left and sees the red of his arm, a gash in his clothing just below the shoulder. Perhaps it is the sight of the blood that makes him scream again (he never was much good with that sort of thing), or perhaps it is because he is suddenly being supported and carried on a stretcher which in turn doubles the pain, now running down his entire left side of his body. He forces his eyes to remain open because although they are begging to be closed, he wants to make sure Conrad follows him to wherever Yuuri is being taken now. Although he is sure he doesn't faint, the world darkens once or twice so that at one moment he is outdoors with the sky wheeling above him and in another moment is indoors somewhere, with Conrad making the kind of noise that Yuuri has once heard him make to a frightened horse. There's snatches of conversation around him still and Yuuri tries to concentrate on these rather on things far less pleasant.

-"Healer was killed or fled, we'll have to make do-"

"There's nothing we can do, the stupid kid-"

"Enough! He did what he thought was right!"

"Just let Conrad do it, he knows what he's doing..."

The voices fade for a moment as bandages are ripped and a strong smell fills the room.

"Here, soak them in this and then we'll just-"

More pain, this time utterly and unbelievingly terrible and completely out of the blue. Yuuri feels his back arch with the sheer force of it. He might have screamed again, but if so he isn't aware of it. Conrad, inwardly cursing the fact that he had not arrived just a minute earlier, sees Yuuri's body go limp as he finally gives in. He dresses Yuuri's wounds quickly and efficiently then, glad that Yuuri will at least not have to feel anything more for a while, passed out as he is from exhaustion, pain or both.

Yuuri does not regain consciousness again until the village is long behind them. Gwendal and a select group of those under his command have stayed behind to tend to the village, and he makes Wolfram stay behind with him. Gunter rides ahead to alert the castle to what has happened, and Conrad rides with Yuuri in front of him on the horse, a small but experienced group of soldiers riding on either side. Conrad tells Yuuri all this as he sees the Maou's eyes flutter open, and whether or not Yuuri really takes in what Conrad is saying is secondary to the fact that Yuuri hears his voice and knows that Conrad is still with him.

"I wasn't strong enough", Yuuri says at one point, and Conrad hastens to reassure him.

"You were strong enough to reach for my arm", he replies, voice even, and feels Yuuri relax a little against his chest. "And you are strong enough to be regaining your strength already despite your injuries", he says with a sort of pride. _And strong enough to stop before you did something you would have regretted_, he adds in his head, remembering the voice of the little girl which had miraculously carried over the noise of everything else. The group is met at the castle, Gisela already waiting to set her healing powers to work and Gunter beside her, striding forward to help. 

By the end of the fourth day since the whole thing had begun, Yuuri is strong enough to sit up unattended and talk, albeit a little scratchily. He is by no means wounded fatally, but is still looking distinctly pale, perhaps from blood loss or perhaps because Conrad is by his side, silent and watchful.

"I was stupid, wasn't I?"

"No."

Yuuri snorts, and Conrad smiles. "Well... perhaps a little. But you did very well, considering."

"Considering I lost it and probably killed a whole bunch of people and almost a little kid and then lost it again and fainted a couple of times?" The words are said jokingly, but Conrad chooses his words carefully - there is more behind them than Yuuri wants to let on.

"I rather meant that you did well considering the enormous odds stacked against you. You will never be a soldier, Yuuri, but you achieved something nobody else was willing to attempt. The village was saved."

"And people were killed."

"Mostly not by your hand, I believe. Those that were died honorably by the sword - perhaps a better death than they deserved. And they were soldiers, who accepted the fact that there is always casualty in war, and that they themselves would likely meet their death by sword. Yours or another's - it makes no difference to them."

This small speech is not comfort to Yuuri, however. "I believe killing is wrong, Conrad!" he says, agitated. "Completely, fundamentally wrong no matter who does it or why."

"That is why you will never make a soldier. It is also why you make a very good Maou." Conrad watches as his words sink in, sees the beginning of a slight lifting of the burden in Yuuri's eyes.

"You're a soldier", Yuuri remembers.

"That's true."

"And you don't believe killing is right... do you?"

"I don't."

"But you'd still kill people. Why?"

Conrad considers this; there are so many answers to give. In the end, he goes with the most simple. "Because I believe some things are worth it. It doesn't mean I think my killing of others is justified, but it does mean I accept that as a soldier, I can defend what I believe is a just cause."

"Like what?"

"The unjust killing of others. Torture. The sacking of villages such as the one you saw. Innocent lives taken like the girl who probably instinctively saw that same innocence in you - I doubt she would have acted as she did had you been just another soldier, regardless of what you were fighting for."

"Am I?"

Conrad is confused for a moment, and wonders Yuuri is aware of what he's saying and if he should insist Yuuri rest some more - the young Maou, although he may not know it, has already been delirious in his sleep after being delivered to the castle (and Conrad will take what Yuuri has spoken in that delirium to his grace). "Are you what?" he asks, wary.

"Worth it." By the looks of it, Yuuri now wishes he were anywhere but in this room lying at Conrad's side. Conrad himself keeps a solemn face even though he wants to smile, amazed that Yuuri hasn't figured the answer out on his own by now.

"I told you on your first day in this world what you were worth", he answers. "I've fought for villages and people for years now, as a soldier. And you've fought for things too - not as a soldier but as someone who felt compelled to help those who needed it anyway. With that in mind, how could you not be worth fighting for?"

Yuuri just stares at Conrad and, unless the light is playing tricks on Conrad's eyes, pales a little more. Gisela chooses this moment to burst into the room like she's commanding her own private army and, upon catching a glimpse of what she thinks is a relapsing Yuuri, forcefully orders Conrad out of the room. The door still open a crack, Conrad listens for a moment to Yuuri's stuttered answers in reply to Gisela's now very gentle questioning before leaving, and then turns to see his Mother standing there, as silent as any well-trained soldier. She has always been good at concealing her true thoughts, for all her girlish manner, and he is unable to read her now. She only smiles a lazy, contented smile at her son and carries on walking, throwing over her shoulder as if she's only just remembered now: "About time, don't you think?"

Whether she is referring to the fact that Yuuri has cottoned on to Conrad's feelings for him or that Conrad has finally come out and spoken them aloud, Celi's son remains uncertain.


	2. Chapter 2

When Yuuri first sees Conrad kill someone right in front of him, he can only stand there for a minute, not believing what he sees. The man - for he is only a man, Yuuri knows, for all he may have been an assassin - is clad in black and lies prone on the floor. Yuuri did not see his face; it was hidden by a mask, and Yuuri is grateful that he does not have to see how old or how young this man was, or if his face looked hard or compassioniate. There is not too much blood, but certainly enough to stain the stone beneath his body, pooling from his neck and running down from the wound.

"Conrad... you killed him."

Yuuri would have liked to believe that Conrad didn't mean to do it, but he knows that he will be lying to himself if he is convinced of that. Conrad's arm did not falter in it's final stroke, and his sword cut clean and true. And here was the result, on the floor in front of him. An irreversible act.

He doesn't notice that Conrad is calling his name until Yuuri finds himself being shaken by the shoulders, and Conrad is looking into his face concernedly. "Are you harmed, Your Majesty?"

The words sting, deeply. A man is dead on the floor, and somewhere there is a father, mother, brother, sister, lover, friend... someone who will mourn this death, it doesn't matter who. And Conrad has called him 'Your Majesty' again - something that in this situation hurts rather than merely irritates.

"Are you hurt?" Conrad asks again, urgently, when he receives no reply.

Yuuri looks at him then, and knows Conrad has killed for him, and him alone. He knows why, but he can't help feeling the way he does. "Yes", he says, finally, and turns and walks away. He doesn't want to look Conrad in the face now - not when he has seen firsthand how cold those eyes can really be. He hears people yell after him and instinctively, without knowing quite how he manages it, summons a shield so that none may follow him. Especially not Conrad.

The voices fade behind him and he doesn't pay attention to where is walking until he actually gets outside. The guards watch him go, and one of them respectfully, slightly nervously, asks where he is going. "For a walk", he replies, and narrows his eyes at the pair, daring them to stop him. They stutter an apology and allow him to move away, not daring to say anything about the late hour, the rain, or Yuuri's own lack of protection (which Conrad will later speak to the guards about in private, leaving them in no doubt of their duties). Left or right? Yuuri is faced with a choice, and decides not to head for the stables, full of memories of himself and a Conrad he now knows more about. Instead, he heads in the opposite direction despite the fact that there is no shelter that way from the rain. It is dark, but he knows the way well and carries on with firm step. He feels the power of the Maou within his chest, restless, but he quashes the urge to unleash his anger in this usual way; the Maou tends to be loud and flashy, and Yuuri is not looking to attract attention. He hears running footsteps somewhere behind him, but they fade quickly - and he smiles humorlessly because he knows they have probably been sent to look for him, but have gone in the wrong direction.

He passes the fountain, the guest house, the paths lined with trees, and eventually decides to stop under a stone awning. It rises above him like a doorway into nowhere, and although it holds very little protection from the rain, a thin stretch ground underneath it is still relatively dry. He sits, knees pressed up against his body, and thinks that someone will find him soon enough, but hopefully not so soon that he will have to give up his privacy too quickly. It may be wet but at least it is quiet - he won't have to explain himself to anybody; not Wolfram, Gunter, Gwendal, Conrad... He feels it is something of a betrayal, because shouldn't Conrad know, by now, how Yuuri feels about killing? People have certainly died on his account in the past, whether willingly or through battle, but this is not quite the same. Here was one person, who could have easily been taken alive before he had done any damage to Yuuri, and perhaps detained and questioned before any decision was made. Instead, that decision was taken away from both Yuuri and his unknown assailant. The only choice as Yuuri saw it had been Conrad's - and that choice was something that Yuuri could not accept: the choice that one life must necessarily die in place of another. Until now, Yuuri had not known that Conrad was capable of making such a terrible choice. Now, he knew better-

"Yuuri!"

He should perhaps have known that Conrad could find him so easily. Some sixth sense, maybe, that told him where his young charge was. Still, if Conrad was calling out for him then he could not quite have found Yuuri yet. The Maou shuffles backwards a little more so that the shadows of the trees behind might provide more cover, but Conrad, keen as ever, spots the unnatural movement. He jogs over to where Yuuri sits and Yuuri, seeing that Conrad is even wetter than he himself is, instinctively moves over so that the soldier might gain a little shelter.

Accepting the invitation, Conrad sits too, and doesn't say anything for a moment. When he does, his voice is low and quiet like he also has a wish to remain alone. "I know you're upset. I'm sorry - but I did what had to be done."

"There was no need to kill him!"

"He attempted to harm you - there is not a person in this kingdom unaware of the punishment for doing so. He would have killed you, make no mistake." Conrad's voice is flat and cruelly matter-of-fact.

"That's not the point! He could have been captured, imprisoned!"

Conrad is silent again before agreeing. "...Yes. Yes, I suppose he could have been."

"Then why did you do it? You must know, I can't... it's just wrong. All killing, it's wrong!"

Conrad bows his head in subservience. "Your Majesty. I accept any punishment for my actions that have upset you. Banish me from your side if you wish - I take full responsibility for your displeasure"

"You know I won't! I can't." Conrad's actions now upset Yuuri even more; he doesn't want Conrad to apologise, he wants Conrad to _explain_. He bows his head, unable to look at the man who was, is, a friend and more to him, yet also a superb swordsman and expert killer. The fact that Conrad kills on behalf of Yuuri only makes it worse, and the bitter taste fills his mouth and makes him want to throw up.

"Yuuri... I am truly sorry. But you must know, that assassin was responsible for his own death. He took poison, at the end."

"He what?"

"It's not an uncommon practice. He would have died before falling into enemy hands, only to be tortured and perhaps weakened enough to spill his masters' secrets. It is true that I killed him, but it would have been over for him even if I hadn't. He knew he would never be able to get near you to carry out his mission once the castle was alerted, and also knew he would have in all likelihood have been captured. He took poison - swallowed a pellet which would have killed him before he could reveal anything. Even the most loyal subjects may loosen their tongues when torture is in question-"

"-I would never have tortured him, no matter what he had done!"

"Your Majesty is kinder than most rulers."

"Is that what makes this world so violent? That rulers stoop to those kinds of methods just for their own greed and power? I'll partake in none of it!!" Yuuri's eyes are fierce and his voice sounds remarkably like that of the Maou that has emerged many times in past situations. Yuuri, however, once more attempts to extinguish the feeling that rises again, clenching his fists so that his nails dig into his palms, nearly drawing blood. He doesn't want the Maou, so powerful and often simply ostentatious, to gain control when he already feels so indignant. Still, his eyes do not regain their usual calm until Conrad draws Yuuri to him, effectively staunching the energy which radiates from Yuuri's body until the boy-King droops, having exhausted enough of his energy to exhaust him but yet not quite enough to induce the usual faint which his subjects have become accustomed to. Conrad would like to think that Yuuri remains pressed close to him now not because he is too tired to do otherwise, but because he has forgiven Conrad for what he had to do.

"Yuuri?"

"Yes... I see now why he died. Would it have been painful for him? If he had died by poison instead of by your hand?"

"Almost certainly."

"...Conrad? Why do people do such awful things to each other? There's so much anger. Too much, all around. What makes people think I can do something about it? I promised I'd make this world into a better place, but now... I think I'm losing it, Conrad. I don't think I can do it anymore. What keeps you going? What lets you draw your sword again and again, even when each time seems so pointless?" Yuuri's energy is drained, his voice sounding deadened in his ears.

Truth be told, Conrad is rather alarmed by this small speech. It is not like Yuuri to lose hope, and certainly not like Yuuri to sound so desolate; all Conrad wants to do now is bring back the Yuuri that he knows will succeed at what he has promised. "People kill for all sorts of reasons", he says after a pause, wanting to get the words right the first time. "Because people are angry for all sorts of different reasons. And although you are a ruler of great kindness and compassion, it's impossible for anyone to stop people being so human and to feel emotions so strongly, some of which motivate people to kill. That shouldn't be your burden to bear..."

Yuuri looks up at Conrad, because there's a note in his voice that he's not used to hearing either. Conrad cares for Yuuri but very rarely loses self-control. He has not really lost it now, but there's something present nonetheless which makes Conrad sound different, although he is as calm and confident as ever. ... or perhaps, Yuuri thinks, he is tired and only imagining things - because there's no way Conrad would reveal something so private, however much he might care for Yuuri.

"As for what keeps me going... well. It is my duty to serve the Maou. It's also because I do believe in you, even if you no longer believe in yourself. You are truly a Maou the likes of which this world has never seen, and I believe in your ability to rule with both justice _and_ kindness, and carry out your promises to this world and its people."

The rain has been slowly ceasing up until this point, and now it has stopped altogether but for a few drips every now and again. It's late; a few hours more and dawn will arrive. Conrad shifts Yuuri slightly to get to his feet, pulling his change up after him and supporting him with his arm in case Yuuri is still too tired to stand. But Yuuri does stand, quietly looking back towards the castle, and the expression on his face is something Conrad will remember for a long time afterwards. It's as if Yuuri's very soul is being shown to him, mixing with the sadness still present but all the more beautiful for that.

"We should go back", says Yuuri, still quiet, and allows Conrad to guide him back along the path.

"Conrad?"

"Yes?"

"You'll continue to kill. I can't stop you. But what's the real reason? I know the assassin would have died anyway, but there's been many others. What really makes you draw your sword like that, prepared to kill every time. It must hurt-" He stops, perhaps not wanting to revisit the emotions that are still too close to the surface for comfort.

"I'll kill for your protection. And I'll do so in order that you won't have to."

The same guards Conrad has already spoken to flinch under Conrad's gaze, but he only tells one of them to inform everyone else that Yuuri has been found and is safe. Yuuri is escorted back inside, and Conrad walks Yuuri as quickly as possible back to his room, knowing that his charge will hate the fuss that would surely ensue should Gunter or Wolfram stumble upon them. He waits until Yuuri has stumbled out of his soaked clothes and dressed for bed before he bids Yuuri goodnight and leaves the room, closing the door behind him just as Wolfram hurries up the the chamber.

"Where's Yuuri, I want to speaking with him!"

It takes some time for Conrad to convince Wolfram that Yuuri is fine and completely healthy other than being tired, and by this time the castle has calmed down. People are returning to their beds, Gwendal has retired to his own chambers where Conrad is fairly sure his older brother is knitting instead of going back to sleep, and Gunter has stopped flailing enough to allow Conrad to talk some sense back into him.

And Conrad himself, pushing away the reasoning that the guards now have all the hallways covered and that no assassin would be silly enough to make any further attempt at harming Yuuri, stands guard personally outside Yuuri's room.


End file.
